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Legislature must do more to fund early ed

The Lowell Sun

Updated:
07/07/2014 12:20:34 PM EDT

The 2015 state budget includes something I'm happy to see: a win for kids. The Legislature made a good choice for our state by giving $15 million to take 1,800 kids off the early-education waitlist. But they still have work to do, with an early education waitlist over 30,000 kids long.

For the kids coming off the waitlist, early education will help them do better in school, college, and the job market. It's so effective that it'll save us money in the long run: Every dollar spent on preschool saves seven dollars worth of spending on other areas by the time the kids finish school.

Although our state is making progress, there are still thousands of kids missing the head start that could make a tremendous difference in their lives. We need to give those kids the education they need and deserve.

Tell your legislators when they come back next year to draft the 2016 budget, they should go even further when it comes to expanding early education, eliminating the waitlist, and giving all kids a fair shot at life.

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